Windows 11 – SoftRAID RAID-0 volume inaccessible after troubleshooting; need safe data recovery advice

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for advice on recovering access to my external RAID-0 volume without risking the data stored on it.

My system and configuration

• Operating system: Windows 11 Home, version 24H2

• OS build: 26100.6899

• SoftRAID version: 9.0.1.3

• Licence: SoftRAID Standard

• RAID type: RAID-0

• Connection: External enclosure

• File system: Unknown at the moment

The problem

My RAID-0 volume became inaccessible in Windows. When I last checked Windows Disk Management, both physical member disks were visible, but the combined RAID volume could not be accessed. I’m not yet sure whether this started directly after a Windows update or whether another issue caused it.

I have also been troubleshooting Windows Update because Windows 11 version 25H2 would not install. The upgrade attempts failed with error 0x80070057. DISM reports that the Windows component store is repairable, but DISM /RestoreHealth fails with 0x800f0915 because the repair content cannot be found. SFC completed successfully without finding integrity violations.

I have since disconnected the RAID enclosure to avoid further interaction with the disks. I have not intentionally initialized or formatted the RAID disks, and the data is not backed up.

What I need help with

1. What is the safest way to determine whether SoftRAID still recognizes the RAID-0 configuration and both member disks?

2. Could a Windows update or SoftRAID driver issue prevent the volume from mounting even when both physical disks are detected?

3. Is there a recommended way to collect SoftRAID diagnostics without risking changes to the array or its data?

4. Which checks are safe to perform before attempting to mount the volume?

5. Are there any specific actions I should avoid to prevent further data loss?

I’m using SoftRAID Standard, so I would especially appreciate guidance available through the community forum.

My priority is recovering access to the existing data, not upgrading Windows. I do not want to initialize, rebuild, format, or recreate the array unless a safe recovery plan has been established.

Thank you for any advice.